Ricoh Introduces the CX4,
a Compact Digital Camera with 10.7× Optical Zoom (28–300 mm)
Enhanced Blur Reduction Is Another Step Towards Blur-free Low-light Photography
August 19, 2010—TOKYO, Japan—Ricoh Co., Ltd. (helmed by president and CEO Shiro Kondo) today announced the release of the new CX4 compact digital camera. This new design offers high-power (10.7×), wide-angle 28–300 mm optical zoom and improved image-sensor-shift image stabilization in a workmanlike yet stylish package.
The new CX4’s evolved image-sensor-shift image stabilization reduces blur on average by the equivalent of about 3.7 EV—3.7 shutter-speed stops—for improved performance under dim indoor lighting and at high zoom ratios.
The camera also offers a new “subject-tracking AF” autofocus system that automatically tracks your subject, ensuring that photographs are in focus and correctly exposed whenever you choose to release the shutter. You’ll find this feature indispensable for moving subjects and close-ups.
In addition, Ricoh has further developed features designed to enhance the photographic experience, including a “night landscape multi-shot mode” that combines four exposures into a single photograph for reduced image noise, and a “creative shooting mode” that brings out the artist in everyone with soft focus, cross process, and toy camera effects. With portability enhanced by a newly-designed body featuring molded curves that make it easier to slip the camera into your pocket, the CX4 compact digital camera represents another advance in Ricoh’s philosophy of designing “A tool you will want to use every day.”
1. High sensitivity, low noise photography using improved blur reduction and high-performance noise reduction for clear, high-quality results at high zoom ratios and under low light • The CX4 offers completely reworked image-sensor-shift image stabilization, which reduces blur caused by camera movement—a phenomenon that is particularly likely to occur in close ups, at high zoom ratios, and in other similar situations. The effect is equivalent to increasing shutter speed by an average of about 3.7 stops.
• The camera’s noise reduction algorithm processes the image signal as it is output from the CMOS image sensor, reducing noise without affecting resolution, tone, or color. Setting noise reduction to “MAX” enables variance-estimation noise reduction that analyzes the distribution of noise in the data captured by the image sensor and optimizes processing for individual areas of the image.
• The back-illuminated, 10-megapixel CMOS image sensor offers improved low-light performance.
2. A portable, easy-to-use design featuring 10.7× optical zoom (28–300 mm) • Ricoh’s unique retracting lens system allows a wide-angle, high-power (10.7×) zoom lens to be incorporated into a compact camera body only 29.4 mm thick.
• With picture angles that range from 28 mm (wide angle) to 300 mm (telephoto), this high-power zoom lens is adapted to almost any situation. Choose wide angles for landscapes or cramped interiors that limit the distance between camera and subject, or zoom in for compelling telephoto shots.
3. An autofocus system that automatically tracks the subject (subject-tracking AF) • Subject-tracking AF automatically tracks the subject selected when the shutter-release button is pressed halfway, ensuring that photographs are in focus and correctly exposed whenever you choose to release the shutter. This feature is ideal for shots of active children and pets, as well as for photographs of flowers and other subjects that demand careful composition.
4. A “creative shooting mode” that offers a choice of six artistic effects
• Choose “soft focus mode” for an effect similar to that produced by soft-focus lenses. The strength of the effect can be selected from “weak” and “strong.”
• Select “cross-process mode” for colors that differ markedly from those in normal photographs. Choose a color scheme from “basic,” “magenta,” and “yellow.”
• “Toy camera mode” replicates the sharp contrast and saturated colours associated with toy cameras, together with their characteristic distortion and vignetting.
• The CX4 also offers the “dynamic range double shot,” “miniaturize,” and “high-contrast B&W” modes made popular by the CX3.
5. High-quality results over a wide tone range • An output pixel interpolation algorithm with dedicated Smooth Imaging Engine IV logic circuits reduces loss of detail in highlights to faithfully recreate beautiful high-contrast scenes exactly as they appear to the naked eye.
• Multi-pattern auto white balance produces colors close to those seen by the human eye in portraits shot in a mixture of sunlight and shade or with both the flash and natural light. High-contrast scenes like these often prove challenging for other, less advanced white-balance algorithms.
6. Eleven scene modes that make it easy to adjust settings to suit your subject • The CX4 features a new “night landscape multi-shot” mode that creates clear, beautiful photos of night scenes by automatically and precisely combining a series of exposures shot at high sensitivities to reduce the blur and noise normally associated with pictures taken under low light, allowing photographers to taste the joys of hand-held, tripod-free night photography.
• The eleven scene modes that were so well-received by users of the CX3—including “pets mode” for portraits of your favorite pet cat—are also included in the CX4.
7. A 920,000-dot, 3.0-inch high-definition VGA monitor • The large, high-resolution LCD monitor boasts high contrast and a wide viewing angle. A fluorine coating keeps the monitor free of stains, while a hard coating and anti-reflection coating prevent scratches and ensure that the display in the monitor is clearly visible even outdoors in bright sunlight.
• Wide-gamut color reproduction (100% of sRGB) ensures that colors are displayed vividly and with high fidelity.
8. Many other features that reflect Ricoh’s design philosophy: “A tool you will want to use every day” • The CX4 offers high burst rates of about 5 frames per second (fps) during continuous shooting.
• Macro mode can be used to take photos at distances as close as 1 cm when the camera is zoomed out to a focal length equivalent to 31 mm in 35 mm format, or at distances as close as 28 cm when the camera is zoomed all the way in.
• “Scene auto mode” offers the ultimate in “point-and-shoot” photography: just point the CX4 at your subject and let the camera optimize settings for best results.
• The camera can record HD movies with a frame size of 1,280 × 720 pixels.
Rechargeable battery DB-100
Battery charger BJ-10
Soft case (black) SC-90BK
Soft case (brown) SC-90BN
Neck strap ST-2
Cable switch CA-1
* All focal lengths in this news release have been converted to 35 mm format.
* All instances of “MP files” refer to “Extended MP files” in a format that conforms to the CIPA “multi-picture format” standard (extension “.MPO”). The CX4 can extract selected frames from MP files and save them in JPEG format.
<CX4 Principal Camera Specifications>
No. of Effective Pixels (Camera):
Approximately 10.00 million pixels
Image Sensor:
1/2.3-inch CMOS (total pixels: approx. 10.60 million pixels)
Lens:
Focal length: f=4.9–52.5 mm
(Equivalent to 28–300 mm for 35 mm film cameras. With Step Zoom set, focal lengths can be fixed at eight steps: 28 mm, 35 mm, 50 mm, 85 mm, 105 mm, 135 mm, 200 mm, and 300 mm)
F-aperture: F3.5 (Wide)–F5.6 (Telephoto)
Shooting Distance: Normal shooting: Approx. 30 cm–infinity (Wide), approx. 1.5 m–infinity (Telephoto) (from the front of the lens)
Macro: Approx. 1 cm–infinity (Wide), approx. 28 cm–infinity (Telephoto), approx. 1 cm–infinity (Zoom Macro) (from the front of the lens)
Lens Construction: 10 elements in 7 groups (aspheric lens: 4 elements and 5 surfaces)
Zoom Magnification: Optical: 10.7x zoom (equivalent to 28-300 mm focal length for 35 mm cameras)
Digital: 4.8x up to 51.4x (equivalent to 1440 mm) when used with optical zoom
Auto Resize: 5.7x*1 up to 61.0x*1 (equivalent to 1710 mm) when used with optical zoom
Focus Modes: Multi AF / Spot AF / Face-priority Multi AF (Contrast AF method with AF Auxiliary Light), Subject-tracking AF / Multi-target AF (Contrast AF method), MF / Snap / ∞(fixed focus)
Motion Blur Reduction:
Image sensor shift method image stabilizer
Shutter Speed: *2
Still image: 8, 4, 2, 1–1/2000 sec. / Movie: 1/30–1/2000 sec.
Continuous Shooting:
Continuous shooting speed: *3 approx. 5 frames/sec. (10M 4:3F shooting time; shooting speed after 12 pictures is approx. 3 frames/sec.)
Continuous shooting capacity: 999 pictures
Exposure Control:
Exposure Metering Mode: Multi Light Metering (256 segments) / Center-weighted Light Metering / Spot Metering
Exposure Mode: Program AE
Exposure Compensation: Manual Exposure Compensation +/−2.0EV (1/3EV Steps), Auto Bracket Function (−0.5EV, ±0, +0.5EV)
ISO Sensitivity (Standard Output Sensitivity): AUTO, ISO100 / ISO200 / ISO400 / ISO800 / ISO1600 / ISO3200
White Balance Mode:
Auto / Multi-pattern Auto / Outdoors / Cloudy / Incandescent 1 / Incandescent 2 / Fluorescent / Manual, White balance bracket function
Flash:
Flash Mode: Auto flash (fires automatically in low-light conditions and when the subject is backlit) / Anti Red-eye / Flash On / Flash Synchro. / Flash Off
Built-in flash range: Approx. 20 cm–4.0 m (Wide), approx. 28 cm–3.0 m (Telephoto) (auto ISO with a maximum of ISO 1600, measured from the front of the lens)
Flash compensation: +/−2.0EV (1/3EV Steps)
Monitor:
3.0-inch Transparent LCD (approx. 920,000 dots)
Shooting Mode:
Auto shooting mode / Movie mode / Scene auto mode / Scene mode (Portrait / Discreet Mode / Night. Port. / Night Landscape Multi-shot / Sports / Landscape / Zoom Macro / Pets / Skew Correct Mode / High Sens / Text Mode) / My settings mode / Continuous mode / Creative Shooting Mode (Dynamic Range / Miniaturize / High Contrast B&W / Soft Focus / Cross Process / Toy Camera)
Picture Quality Mode: *4
F(Fine) / N(Normal)
No. of Pixels Recorded:
Still image/multi-picture: 3648×2736, 3648×2432, 2736×2736, 3648×2048, 2592×1944, 2048×1536, 1728×1296 (multi-picture only), 1280×960, 640×480
Movie: 1280 x 720, 640 x 480, 320 x 240
Text: 3648 x 2736, 2048 x 1536
Recording Media:
SD memory card, SDHC memory card (up to 32 GB), Internal memory (approx. 86 MB)
Storage Capacity (Pictures/Time): *5 (internal memory approx. 86 MB):
Still image/multi-picture: 3648×2736 (F: 22, N: 37), 3648×2432 (F: 24), 2736×2736 (F: 29),
3648×2048 (F: 29), 2592×1944 (F: 34), 2048×1536 (F: 53), 1728×1296 (N: 127) (M-Cont Plus), 1280×960 (F: 96), 640×480 (F: 394), 640×480 (N: 691)(Speed Cont)
Movie:*6 1280×720 (16 sec.), 640×480 (49 sec.), 320×240 (1 min. 59sec.)
Recording File Format: Still Image: JPEG (Exif ver. 2.21) *7
Multi-picture: CIPA DC-007-2009 Multi-Picture Format
Movie: AVI (Open DML Motion JPEG Format compliant)
Compression method: JPEG Baseline method compliant
Other Major Shooting Functions: Continuous, Self-Timer (operation time: approx. 10 sec. / approx. 2 sec. / custom self-timer), Interval Timer (Shooting interval: 5 sec.–1 hour, 5 sec. steps), Color Bracket function, Focus Bracket function, AE/AF Target Shift, Histogram, Grid Guide, Electronic Level
Other Major Playback Functions:
Grid View, Enlarged Display (maximum 16×), Resize, Level Compensation, White Balance Compensation, Trim, Flag, Slideshow, DPOF Setting
Interface:
USB 2.0 (High-Speed USB) Mini-B, Mass storage compatible*8 / AV Out 1.0Vp-p (75Ω)
Video Signal Format:
NTSC, PAL switchable
Power Supply:
Rechargeable Battery: DB-100×1
Battery Consumption: *9
Based on CIPA Standard: Using the DB-100, approx. 330 pictures (when LCD Dim is on) *10
External Dimensions (W × H × D):
101.5 mm × 58.6 mm × 29.4 (24.4 mm at thinnest part) (according to CIPA guidelines)
Weight:
Approx. 205 g (including the supplied battery and SD memory card)
Approx. 184 g (body only)
Operating Temperature Range: 0ºC–40ºC
*1. VGA image size
*2. Shutter speed upper and lower limits vary depending on Shooting Mode and Flash Mode.
*3. Values measured under Ricoh measurement conditions using a Panasonic PRO HIGH SPEED 8GB SDHC memory card. The continuous shooting speed and number of pictures will vary depending on the shooting conditions, the type of recording media used, the condition of the recording media, etc.
*4. The picture quality modes which can be set vary depending on the image size.
*5. All figures are approximate.
*6. Individual movies can be up to 4 GB in size. Approximate maximum length is 12 minutes for movies with a frame size of 1280×720 and 29 minutes for movies with a frame size of 640×480 or 320×240.
*7. Compatible with DCF and DPOF. DCF is the abbreviation of the JEITA standard “Design rule for Camera File system.” (Full compatibility with other devices is not guaranteed.)
*8. Mass storage driver is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Mac OSX 10.1.2–10.6.3
*9. Shooting capacity was measured using CIPA-standard parameters. This is only an estimate, and performance may vary according to usage conditions.
*10. When LCD Auto Dim is off: approx. 310 pictures
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